A plaque before this room is set into the north wall of the archway leading to it. The plaque reads, "Caution." The room itself is nothing more than a 30' section of widened hallway. Two, heavy, sharp blades protrude dow through the ceiling through a narrow slit. They swing back and with with a scisorring motion, hissing softly against each, other as they pass. At the outward end of their cycle they come a hairsbreadth from the walls. They pass each other in the center of the passageway about once every second. GameMester The blades are a legitimate trap, and while they are very sharp, there is nothing magical or illusory about them. Tell the players that it seems quite probable that, with a well-timed jump, one could pass easily between them unharmed. The hidden danger is the illusion-covered pit just on the other side of them. A character might feet really smug about timing his leap through the blades -- as he apparently plummets through the solid floor, to fall over 100' into a shallow pool of concentrated acid. The pit is not impassable, however. Along the right-hand wall is a foot-wide ledge of safe floor, distinguishable from the illusion only by feel. Due to the angle of the blades, swinging from their unseen pivot, they are not long enough to reach the floor as they approach the wall. Brave characters can crawl across the ledge, under the blades, or they may take the easier option of sidestepping down the ledge, careful to avoid the blades. Score Chart +3 For suggesting there may be danger other than the apparent. +3 For finding the pit in a safe manner. +3 For finding the ledge. -10 For leaping blithely into the pit. +5 For best role player. More Code of the Rats Introductory Fantasy Adventure Introduction Adventure Set Up 1. Entry Room 2. Room of Abstinence 3. Room of Peace 4. Room of Forethought 5. Pit Trap 6. Wolves and Sheep 7. Dank and Dark 8. Room of Humor and Wisdom 9. Room of Caution 10. The Lone Plaque 11. Hall of Consistency 12. Mud-Filled Room 13. Room of Questioning 14. The Portcullis 15. Room of Reversal 16. Room of Trust 17. Room of Power 18. Room of Disunity 19. The Darkened Hallway 20. Room of Mindlessness 21. Room of Acceptance 22. The Rotating Tunnel 23. The Refreshments 24. Lemmings Leap 25. If Left is not Right 26. Room of Day 27. Room of Cogitation 28. A Locked Door 29. Room of Illogic 30. Room of Dishonesty Epilogue Map of the Dungeon Back to Shadis #21 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com